Losing Sleep
by RikaRose
Summary: He couldn't sleep, and in a state of exhaustion she comes up with a solution. Now neither can sleep without the other, but they're still just friends, right?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm doing it again, writing something new even though I have other WIPs waiting on my attention, I have too many ideas and not enough time. This was inspired by a story I've been following on AO3 called The Broken Club by TheKiwiBird. The Finn and Bayley of that story (as of this writing) are just friends, and Finn is losing sleep for entirely different reasons, but the idea of Bayley trying to help an insomniac Finn wouldn't leave me alone until this story was born.

* * *

He hadn't slept well in weeks, most nights he didn't sleep at all and when he did sleep it was more fitful tossing and turning than anything restful. He felt like he was on the verge of losing his mind. The doctors had offered various sleep aids, but he'd been wary of chemically induced sleep and the potential side effects. He was an advocate for taking as few pills as possible knowing how easy it could be in this lifestyle to develop a habit.

He'd hadn't confided his struggles to very many, but a few of his friends knew what he was dealing with. Karl was sympathetic, but he couldn't really help in any way except to be supportive, besides he had a family to take care and a lot on his plate. Finn hadn't even meant to tell Bayley, but she'd been sensitive to his mood changes ever since their time in NXT when they'd done so many media tours together. She'd noticed something was off and confronted him about it. She'd been very concerned and had wanted to help as much as possible. She'd been the one he'd come to rely on to help make sure he wasn't going off the deep end. Sleep deprivation wasn't fun to deal with and she'd made sure he didn't do anything stupid like miss a wake-up call.

She was sweet, maybe too sweet as she'd put up with far more from him than she should have over the last several weeks. Besides making sure he didn't lose his job over missed flights, she'd also put up with him being a grumpy bear half of the time and completely out of it the other half, and she'd endured it all without complaint.

He felt pretty bad because he'd snapped at her earlier when she'd offered to keep him company this evening. He hadn't meant to take his frustration out on her, but he'd lost his match tonight because he couldn't think straight and he'd been feeling sorry for himself. When she'd made the suggestion he couldn't help but feel like she thought he needed a babysitter. The truth was with his current mental state he probably did need someone to watch over him, and he knew in reality that wasn't really how Bayley felt anyway. She was just worried about him, and he was lucky he had a friend like her who cared.

Now he was sitting alone in his room, his brain going in circles only feeling more and more sorry for himself, kicking himself for turning down her offer. He could have had the cheerful ray of sunshine that was Bayley to distract him instead of sitting here stewing in his own self pity. He kept grabbing his phone deciding he would text her an apology only to change his mind and decide she deserved to have a decent night's sleep herself, something she hadn't probably had much of recently since she'd been spending so much time in his room keeping him company.

He had just picked up his phone again when he heard a soft knock at the door. He opened the door to find Bayley smiling hesitantly at him in brightly colored leggings, an over-sized t-shirt, and her signature pony tail. He felt himself let out a breath in relief, and grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, muttering an apology into her shoulder. When he pulled back she smiled at him and said,

"It's okay, I know you're dealing with a lot."

"Still I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I don't know why you put up with me lately."

"Cause that's what friends do. I'm guessing no more luck tonight than any other night huh?" she asked as he gestured for her to come in and he shut the door.

"No, I haven't slept at all in three days."

"Damn Finn. I know you don't want to rely on pills, but maybe you ought to think about taking something at least once just so you can get your head back in the game."

"That's the thing though, I don't trust myself right now to make a decision to do something I know I wouldn't normally."

"You've gotta get some sleep though before you end up doing so from a hospital bed."

"I know, but I don't know what else I can do to make it happen. I've tried everything I can think of except pills."

"Have you had a masseuse come to your room?"

"Yeah, and I can doze while they are here, but as soon as they leave I'm back to square one."

"I used to put my nephews to sleep by rubbing my hands through their hair, do you want me to try that?"

"Uh, sure. I'll try anything at this point and I haven't tried that yet," he told her.

"Well get comfortable, and we will give it a shot," she said. He pulled his t-shirt off and laid down in what used to be his favorite position to sleep in, partially on his side, partially on his stomach. He felt the bed dip behind him as Bayley got situated, then her fingers lightly running through his hair. Honestly, it felt amazing and he was able to relax more than he had all day. He could feel himself on the edge of sleep and for awhile he drifted in and out losing track of time as he hovered somewhere between waking and sleeping. Eventually though he knew her arm tired because her fingers slowed and he thought she must have fallen asleep herself. Instead of drifting off the rest of the way, it was like his body was wide awake again, all evidence of her hard work gone. He shifted which must have woken her because he felt her stir and she sleepily asked,

"Guess it didn't work?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, this isn't your fault you know. You can't help it." She sighed again and it was silent for a little while, long enough that he began to wonder if she'd fallen back asleep when he heard her ask,

"Have you tried cuddling?"

He turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. She gave him a look back and said, "I know, but it's all I can think of right now."

"You should go back to your room and rest, there's no point in both of us losing sleep."

"I really don't want to leave you alone right now Finn. I'm scared for you," he could hear the genuine fear in her voice, and it made him feel worse for not taking her effort seriously.

"Well we might as well give it a shot then, I'm game if you are."

"Are you a cuddler or a cuddlee?" He gave her another look and couldn't help but tease her a little and said,

"You know those aren't words right?"

"Hush you, which one do you prefer?"

"I don't actually have many chances to cuddle honestly, but I guess I'm a cuddler."

She'd already taken her shoes off, but he wasn't surprised when she loosened her hair up, then she came around to lie down on the side of the bed where she could back up to him. It was awkward. They'd always been completely platonic friends, and they were comfortable with hugs and casual touching, but this was much more intimate then anything they'd ever done. She didn't look remotely comfortable and there was too much space between them to actually accomplish what she'd been going for, so he broke down and reached out and pulled her firmly against him, settling his arm around her waist. After another minute of awkwardness they both started to relax, and to his amazement he could feel the edge of sleep again. The sound of her even breathing, the smell of her shampoo, and the warmth of her body against him finally accomplished what all of the massages in the world had failed to do for weeks, and he finally drifted completely asleep.

...

He woke the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on the door. They'd shifted during the night and he now lay on his back with her wrapped around him, her head pillowed in the crook of his shoulder and her leg draped over his hip almost intimately. The arm she was laying partially on was wrapped around her keeping her snug against him. He blinked and glanced over at the clock and realized that he'd slept well past his wake-up call, and the door was most likely the maid service. Thankfully he didn't have a flight to catch today as it was their day off, but he needed to get them up and moving anyway or they were going to miss their checkout time.

Despite the knocking Bayley didn't move except to bury her face further into his chest, and he had a moment where the sight of her like that made him feel a sense of...longing that he couldn't quite define. He forced himself to push it aside and shook her arm lightly, calling her name until her eyes blinked open. After a few seconds she seemed to become more aware and she looked at him and asked,

"Did it work?" He smiled at her and nodded yes and her whole face lit up. Once she moved her focus off of him though she realized just how close they were positioned and her whole face turned red. It was kind of adorable. He was actually really comfortable too, and he would have been content to stay like that a little longer, but the knock sounded at the door again and she hastened to answer it. After sending the hotel staff away she returned and immediately gave him a giddy smile.

"I'm so glad it worked. You look so much better already."

"Thanks, I think."

"You know what I mean. I've been really worried about you." He smiled softly at her, once again feeling grateful that he had someone who cared about him the way she did.

"I know, and I really appreciate it. You've helped keep me sane the last couple of weeks. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"I'm glad I've been able to help," she said ducking her eyes like his gratitude had flustered her.

"We kind of overslept, you didn't have a flight to catch did you?"

"No, I gave up my apartment in San Jose a few months ago, I haven't been going home as frequently."

"Why did you give up your apartment?" he asked, feeling bad that he hadn't already known that.

"After Nick and I broke up, it felt like I was wasting a lot of time and money just to spend a few hours there every week. When the lease came up I decided to just to let it go. I stay with my mom when I do go back, the rest of the time I've been bouncing around between staying with friends or just going on to the next city a day early. Were you headed back to Orlando?"

"That was the original plan, but I don't have to be anywhere on any kind of schedule today, and at this point I probably won't bother. Like you said, sometimes it's not worth the travel time if you are only going to be there a few hours."

"Well I've already got a car lined up if you want to ride with me to Huntsville."

"Sure."

"Alright, I'm going to go get cleaned up and packed and I'll meet you in the lobby in an hour?"

"Yeah, sounds good," she started to turn towards the door when he put a hand a hand on her arm to stop her. She turned back to him and he said, "Thank you." She smiled sweetly at him, warmth in her eyes, and said, "You're welcome."

...

That evening Bayley tried to get settled in her hotel room. She'd had a great day sharing a ride with a rested Finn, and had enjoyed seeing the happier side of her friend. He'd really been going through a rough patch the last several weeks dealing with an unexpected and prolonged bout of insomnia. His body hadn't adjusted well to the travel schedule and stress after returning from a long injury rehab, and she'd been really worried about him.

Last night she'd been exhausted and desperate enough to suggest cuddling and to their surprise it had worked. He'd finally gotten a whole night's sleep. It had been a little weird and awkward at first, but by that point she would have done almost anything to help him. This morning had been slightly embarrassing considering she'd woken up with her whole body wrapped around him, but she didn't care if that's what it took to get her friend back to the healthier, happier version of himself.

Of course now she was having trouble getting to sleep herself. Her body had a adjusted to being up late with him, and even though last night had been the first time they'd ever slept in a bed together, for some reason the bed felt really empty without his weight and warmth in it. Her brain was also having trouble settling down because she couldn't help but worry about how he was doing. He'd said he was tired when they'd parted a couple of hours ago, but she could tell he was anxious about how well he would sleep. She was starting to wish she'd been bold enough to suggest they repeat their arrangement from the night before.

More time passed, the clock slowly ticking by the minutes until sometime after three she heard a barely there tap on the door. If she hadn't been wide awake she wouldn't have heard it. She got up to answer the door to find a bleary-eyed Finn. She didn't even say a word simply opened the door wider to let him in. He stumbled to the bed, toed off his shoes, pulled off t-shirt, and curled up under the blankets, holding them out waiting for her to join him. As soon as she lay with her back against his chest and his arm around her waist she could feel sleep taking over and she drifted off.

She once again woke to find herself curled around Finn, legs entangled with his. She'd remembered to put the do not disturb sign on the door when she'd opened it for Finn last night, so they thankfully didn't have to worry about that, and since he was still sleeping soundly she could take a minute to enjoy the comfort her position gave her without worrying about being embarrassed by the intimacy of it. She'd learned first hand that he didn't like sleeping in a t-shirt so her face and arm lay against the warmth of his bare skin, and he smelled amazing, clean with the faint, spicy scent of men's deodorant. She wasn't sure how long she lay like that, enjoying it more than she probably should have before he eventually began to stir. Instead of moving away he only tightened his arm around her, keeping her snug against him as he slowly woke up. He didn't say anything for a long time, and they simply lay together like that.

When he did speak he said,

"I was trying not to wake you up."

"You didn't. I couldn't sleep either."

"That's probably my fault. I'm glad I didn't wake you, but I feel bad for how much I've messed with your sleep lately."

"It hasn't been that bad," she said though she knew that wasn't entirely true. There had been a few times where she'd hardly got any sleep for worrying about him, but that wasn't his fault.

When they got up to go about their day they both ignored the subject of how the last two nights had made them even closer or what they were going to do when evening rolled around again. They'd slept away the entire morning, so they really only had time to get in an afternoon workout, and they went to the gym that her trainer had lined up for her. They both favored crossfit style workouts and he'd actually worked with the her trainer occasionally before, so their preferences in a gym were the same. Afterwards they got a late lunch together before parting at the arena.

She watched his match from the monitors backstage and she could tell even the crowd knew Finn had more energy, more fire than he had in a long time. They were heavily into it as he completed all of his signature moves and executed a flawless coup de gras for the win. She loved the almost goofy, enthusiastic grin he favored her with when he passed by on his way back to the locker room. It was great to see him back in the zone, understanding how much the lack of sleep had robbed even his desire to wrestle from him.

She got a ride back to the hotel that night with Sasha who she hadn't seen nearly as much of recently. Sasha kept her tied up in conversation for quite a while and by the time they parted it was past midnight. She checked her phone to find she'd missed a few texts from Finn, wondering if she wanted to hang out. She felt bad that she hadn't noticed them earlier and decided to try his room first before even bothering going to her own.

He opened the door after only one knock, and like he had two nights ago he immediately pulled her into a hug. She hadn't expected it and to her surprise she felt her breath catch and her heart skip a beat when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey, I'm sorry I missed your texts earlier, Sasha wanted to catch up, and it's been awhile since I've seen her."

"I guess that's my fault, I've been monopolizing your time."

"No worries, you're my friend too, and you needed me more, besides Sasha and I have never needed to spend every second with each other to remain close." He looked at her almost shyly (which was strange in itself, Finn could be introverted, but he'd never been shy, he had too much self confidence) before saying,

"I was hoping you would be dressed more comfortably," looking pointedly at her jeans.

"You know it's okay to say you want to cuddle," she teased before saying, "I came straight here, but I can go change and come back." She wasn't even going to try and pretend like she didn't want the same thing he did.

"Yeah, well it sounds kind of stupid, but yeah I do. If you're not tired though we could watch a movie first."

"We've got a flight to catch in the morning we're probably better off saving a movie for tomorrow night," she said. She didn't see the point in acting like she was coming back for anything other than to sleep in his bed or that it would more than likely happen again tomorrow night. She wasn't quite sure how they'd gotten to this point in the course of a couple of days, but last night had proven that her solution for Finn's insomnia was only going to work if they kept doing it, and as weird as that was, it didn't bother her. She liked feeling him behind her and waking up to his heartbeat under her ear. He smiled at her in relief, and said,

"Well go change then lass, so we can get some sleep." She rolled her eyes at him, but hastened to do as he said.


	2. Chapter 2

They were three weeks into their new sleeping arrangements and things had gone surprisingly smoother than she would have thought. Until that point they hadn't experienced any hiccups, but they had two days coming up where they had media obligations in two different cities. She was apprehensive about trying to go to sleep without him there, and more than a little anxious over how he would fare without her. Just as she'd thought, she tossed and turned the first night, eventually giving up and turning on her phone to distract herself. She wasn't surprised when she received an 'Are you awake?' text from Finn, and she ended up calling him.

They still didn't get any sleep, but he kept her occupied in mostly meaningless conversation, which was better than staring at the clock for hours. She stumbled through her day, tired but still functional and begged off of going out with some of the other girls that night. The second night was worse, the lack of sleep from the first night compounded the misery of not being able to sleep, and Finn didn't answer her texts or calls all night, which was unlike him and had her really worried. She didn't hear from him until she was on her way to the airport the next day. One of the other wrestlers had given him a sleeping pill and he'd been desperate enough to try it. He was pretty shaken when she talked to him. The pill had made him numb, unable to move or talk or do anything, but he still hadn't slept. He'd spent an entire night basically paralyzed in his bed, and it had understandably freaked him out.

When they saw him at the arena that night the first thing she'd done was wrap her arms around him, and he practically collapsed against her. He'd looked like death warmed over, and as bad as she knew she felt after two nights without sleep, she knew it had been ten times worse for Finn. He didn't let her go and they stayed like that for a long time, his forehead resting on her shoulder. She remembered how much he'd enjoyed it, so she began to run her fingers through his hair and felt him relax a little.

Neither was aware of the image they presented, completely oblivious to the type of looks they were receiving from everyone passing in the hall.

They both did their best to push through the exhaustion and do their jobs that night. Finn had obviously reserved what little bit of energy he did have for his match because afterwards he was a zombie. She'd had to take care of him and steer him through the necessary steps to get him to the hotel and settled in. She hadn't made it to town in time to check into her room before the show, and she didn't want to leave Finn alone for even the short amount of time it would take her to do so, so she just brought her bag with her to his room. She'd had to prompt him to go change and then had to turn around abruptly when he'd started undressing, too out of it to notice she was right there. She could feel her whole face warm even though she hadn't seen anything she couldn't see on a regular basis when he was in his ring gear. When she came back from the bathroom after changing he was sitting on the edge of the bed staring off into nothing. She gently pushed him to climb under the covers, and as soon as they were curled up together she felt him sigh in relief. Both were asleep in moments.

...

They thankfully didn't have to go through anything like that again, both being careful to make whatever arrangements they had to so that they were always in the same city at night. They stopped bothering with booking two separate rooms after that too. Finn had pointed out that they were wasting a lot of money just for a place to change clothes when the bathroom could easily accomplish the same thing. They continued their arrangement for the next several weeks and continued to grow closer in the process. Despite the fact that she'd lived with her ex-boyfriend for longer than she'd even known Finn, she felt like she and Finn had a deeper connection than anything she'd ever had with her ex, and every day spent together, every night spent in the same bed seemed to make it even deeper.

Sharing personal space with him all of the time was for the most part pretty amazing, but at times it also felt like torture. She never tired of his company so having him there so much was awesome, and she never got bored or lonely, but he was a beautiful man, and seeing so much of him was bound to make any woman feel a little hot and bothered and she was not immune. Of course if the worst part about it was dealing with a little sexual frustration then she would take it any day. He'd never shown any kind of interest in her that way, so she was careful not to let it show (as much as she could, she couldn't help the fact that she woke up wrapped around him like a pretzel every morning), and they easily fell into a routine until Finn announced one afternoon,

"I need to make a trip back to Orlando this week." The announcement surprised her even though it really shouldn't have. He'd been spending his days off with her in whatever city they ended up in, and it had been quite a while since he'd gone back to his home here in the US. It made sense that he would need to eventually, but the thought of going through something like they had few weeks ago immediately filled her with dread. Then he asked,

"Will you come with me?"

The simple solution hadn't even occurred to her, but they'd been doing everything else together, so there was no reason why they couldn't do that too. She'd never stayed at his apartment before, so it might be a little weird, but Orlando was a second home to her as well. She could think of several people she hadn't seen in a while that she'd love to see, and she always loved dropping by the PC, so even if Finn had stuff to keep him busy she knew she could keep herself occupied, but as it turned out she didn't need to worry about it. They'd gotten so used to planning everything around each other that even with the things he needed to take care of he managed to arrange it so that she was never bored or left waiting on him. He'd had a meeting to attend to at the PC, but she'd been able to use the time to catch up with the coaches, something she'd wanted to do anyway, and she had a nice afternoon renewing connections. She didn't notice the looks they received when they arrived and left together, but as she found out later, Finn did.

...

In fact Finn might not have noticed either, but Matt had flat out asked him about it. As with many tight-knit communities like the wrestling world was, gossip had a tendency to run rampant, traveling both within and across companies and promotions like wildfire. Neither had paid attention to or tried to hide the fact that they were sharing a hotel room most nights, and didn't realize they'd become the subject of speculation among those in their business.

Finn wasn't sure why he felt reluctant to correct the assumptions either when it was brought up, especially with a friend as close as Matt was. The idea that people thought of Bayley as being his was somehow satisfying. After spending so much time with her he felt possessive of her, a fact he didn't want to analyze too much. At first he tried to brush it off and he told Matt that Bayley had made the trip with him to Orlando just to visit friends. His friend probably would have let him off of the hook, but he'd pointed out a few things that Finn hadn't thought of. Bayley was well liked and there were a few people in particular, like Hunter, who were protective of her. It would not go well for him if he couldn't answer their questions satisfactorily when they eventually confronted him, and Matt had also reminded him that if they let the world make their own assumptions people would assume the worst and that it could end up reflecting badly on Bayley.

He didn't want to be the one to bring it up, but he also didn't want her to get blindsided like he had been, and he knew if someone was asking him about it, it wouldn't be too long before someone would say something to her too. He decided he had to say something, so that night while they were putting dinner together in his apartment he told her,

"There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What's up?" she asked, not noticing yet the serious tone of his voice or even looking up from her salad preparation.

"Um, Matt kind of made me aware of something today that neither one of us has thought of, and well I didn't want you to be surprised by it." She looked up now finally catching on that he was addressing something important, and she probably also picked up on the fact that he was hesitant to get it out.

"Apparently people have been talking about us a lot lately, and, um assuming we're together." He could tell it took a minute for her to process and comprehend his meaning, when she did he could see the surprise on her face. He could even see the'why?' start to form on her lips before she realized what they both should have thought of weeks ago, that people were going to make assumptions when they realized that the two friends were sharing a hotel room. When she did speak, she just said,

"Oh."

"You know I'm not one to care what people think or say about me, but Matt reminded me that I would have to answer to Hunter, which I should have thought of. I remember when Becky met Luke and the shit he put him through. He's really protective of you guys. We've been so consumed with how well it worked that we didn't think through how it would look to the rest of the world or the consequences of that. Hunter's going to absolutely murder me."

"Can't we just tell them the truth?" she asked.

"Do you really think they would believe us?" she paused when he said that and her face fell.

"No, but Finn, I can't go through what we did a couple of weeks ago again. We can't just stop."

"I know, and Matt had some concern for you too."

"Concern for me? Why?"

"Because right now people think we have some kind of friends with benefits thing going on, and well I know it's a double standard, but he thought it might affect you worse than it would me. He thought I should think about having more care for your reputation, and he's right, as stupid as it is that that even matters in this day and age, I don't want something that started out as you trying to help me turn into something that makes you look bad or even worse, effects your career."

"You really think it would go that far?"

"I don't know, honestly. I wasn't expecting that conversation today, and I'm not sure what to think right now." They were both silent for a little while, lost in thought. Bayley went back to prepping the salad while he leaned back against the counter across from her until Bayley said,

"So this is going to sound crazy, but why don't we just tell them we are together then? Hunter might give you some shit like he did with Luke, but he likes you, as long as he doesn't think you're taking advantage of me or anything he won't be upset. If people think we are dating they won't bat an eye at us sharing a hotel room, and I don't think the whole reputation thing will be a big issue if they think we are dating instead of having an affair. Then if we ever figure out how to get around needing each other to fall asleep at night we can 'fake' break up and be the coolest, friendliest exes in the history of the world."

The idea would have never occurred to him, but it was appealing none the less. Like Bayley had pointed out, it would solve all of the problems that Matt had brought up while still allowing them to keep their arrangement going, and that voice in the back of his head that had enjoyed the idea of people thinking of Bayley as his was urging him to agree with her.

"Yeah, that could work I guess. Would we tell anyone the truth? I kind of avoided answering Matt, I wasn't sure how to explain, and he's the first one who's said anything to me."

"Sasha hasn't said anything either, but that's probably as much because we've both had so much going on that we've hardly had any time to talk lately. If the gossip is as bad as Matt thinks it is, then it won't be much longer before she confronts me."

"Do you want to tell her the truth?"

"Yeah, kind of. I don't think I could lie to her with a straight face. She knows me too well. If you're okay with it though I'd rather not have to explain the truth to my parents. I'm not sure they would believe it, and I know they wouldn't approve."

"That's fine."

"Are you sure? You might have to do the whole meet the parents thing at some point."

"Yeah, I don't mind. I don't think I will tell my parents either. They would believe me, but I don't think they would approve any more than your parents would."

"Are you going to tell Matt?"

"No. I already avoided it once. It will be easier to let him think that he was right and he spurred us into making it official rather than backtracking."

"What about any of the rest of your friends?"

"You're going to think it's a stupid guy thing, but no. None of them would believe for a second that I sleep in the same bed at night with someone as beautiful as you and that I haven't done anything." Finn was surprised to see Bayley's whole face turn red. He'd probably never come out and said it quite like that before, but she had to know that he wasn't blind. She had the kind of body that most guys fantasized about and he knew it. He wasn't going to lie, being able to curl up with her every night was definitely not a hardship, but it wasn't exactly easy either. She seemed too flustered to respond so he changed gears a little to distract her,

"Are you sure you're okay with all of this? I still feel bad that I put you in this mess in the first place."

"Yeah, I'm okay, and none of this is your fault Finn, and you're the one who has to deal with Hunter, so if you feel the need to punish yourself I think that's punishment enough."

"Don't remind me. I was right there with him when it came to Becky, she's like my little sister, but I kind of feel bad for the guy now that I'm in the same position."

"You could be preemptive about it instead of waiting for him to come to us."

"That's probably a good idea, but I will have to figure out a way to bring it up without it being awkward."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Bayley said. After that they finished putting their meal together and moved on to lighter subjects for the rest of the evening.

...

Even though he and Bayley had agreed to let the world think they were dating, he wasn't sure how they were going to go about doing so, after all now that he thought about it a lot of their behavior already fell into relationship territory when taken out of context. It was the fact that neither had come out and said they were exclusive or together that had people assuming they were just messing around, and that was what they wanted to change. Ever since that night when she'd helped him finally break through his insomnia they'd spent the majority of their time together, sharing travelling arrangements, meals and eventually a hotel room, so they couldn't use those types of things to signal a change in their relationship (and he really was amazed that neither of them had thought about what that would look like on the outside.)

Eventually he decided that social media was probably their best route. They'd occasionally posted pictures of each other on their Instagram, but they'd always been careful of posting too many pictures of themselves with co-workers of the opposite sex because of the assumptions people would make. Which also made it the best way to ensure that they accomplished just that. He was struck with inspiration when they were watching a movie on his couch that night. She was curled up under a blanket next to him, but he asked her to move up against him. After sharing a bed for over a month they were a little more comfortable with being that close, but didn't normally do so except at night. Once she moved over he tried to steal the blanket which turned into a brief tickle war before they settled back down, agreeing to share it. Her face was still flushed prettily from the effort and it was the perfect timing so he pulled out his phone and took a picture of the two of them. The picture turned out really well, and he liked it so much he made it the background on his phone as well as posting it to Twitter and Instagram. He didn't use any caption except a heart emoji.

It worked. Almost too well, they were both bombarded with texts and calls from family and friends the next day, and it was even worse when they returned to work that night. He kept getting stopped by both his friends and people he barely knew, all wanting to talk to him about it. When he texted Bayley to figure out how she was faring, she told him she'd been dealing with the same sort of thing. Thankfully after the first day or two people settled down and they became old news, and it had certainly solved their problems with gossip. Established couple's who seemed happy together were not very good fodder for the rumor mill.

They didn't change a whole lot about how they did things, but one thing he did do was hold her hand occasionally. Admittedly it had been strange for both of them at first, but since they obviously weren't going around kissing or anything, he felt like they needed to do something that showed affection between them like people who were actually dating would. It didn't take long for them to grow comfortable with it either, and he enjoyed the fact that he had the freedom to touch her, to pull her close, or hold her hand when he felt like it. They'd been close before, but he could honestly say now that she was one of his best friends.

As great as it was though he was beginning to think their 'fake relationship' was messing with his head. He found himself having to fight the urge to kiss her more and more. The first time it happened they were hanging out backstage with a group of their friends. She'd turned to tell him something and afterwards when she'd gone to walk away he grabbed her hand to stop her. She turned back to him and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead before telling her "See you later." She'd looked a little stunned, and they were teased mercilessly for it, but what he'd really wanted to do was kiss her lips, and he'd just barely caught himself in time. The fact that he had gotten that close before he could stop himself bothered him a little, and waking up with her wrapped around him wasn't helping things either. She had a tendency to wrap one leg around his hip, and he'd come too close for comfort to embarrassing both of them with his natural reaction to it. He'd gotten used to having to take a cold shower every morning.

When it got close to her birthday her mom had insisted she come home for a visit, which had had his heart in his throat until she'd also insisted that he come along. Bayley told him she wasn't sure how uptight her mom would be about the sleeping arrangements, but he figured they would find a way to work things out. Her mom turned out to be a lot cooler about it than either could have hoped, immediately assuming he would be sleeping with her, which had relieved both of them. He kind of felt bad about deceiving her about the true nature of their relationship because she seemed so happy that they were together, and she was very kind to him. Despite his guilt he managed to really enjoy himself and it was good to see Bayley among her family.

While they were there he also finally got the chance to bring up the idea of Bayley using his apartment as her homebase, asking her to essentially move in with him. It wouldn't change things much as she was already staying with him every time they visited Orlando anyway, but he knew it would be easier on her if she had more of her personal things and her wardrobe there. She seemed surprised, but pleased he'd asked, and they managed to get her stuff packed and shipped before they left.


	3. Chapter 3

Merry Christmas! I've been working on this all week instead of doing the things I should be doing like wrapping presents, so here's my gift to you, and I hope you have a happy holiday!

* * *

Finn was driving her to absolute distraction. She knew he wasn't doing it on purpose. Everyone thought they were together, and unless they wanted to stop sleeping in the same bed at night, they needed everyone to believe their relationship was real, but he was a very attractive man, add to that he was also one of her best friends, and the constant affection he showered her with made her feel like she was going to either lose her mind or do something stupid like kiss him. He was constantly touching her, giving her light back rubs, hugging her, holding her hand, walking with his arm around her or resting a hand on her lower back.

One day when they were standing in the hall with some of their friends he grabbed her arm before she was about to walk away and she could have sworn for a minute he was going to kiss her. The way he'd looked at her had her heart pounding and her palms sweaty. Instead he'd kissed her forehead, which had been almost as bad. His soft lips against her skin for that brief moment left her feeling both elated and confused. She kept trying to remind herself that it wasn't real, but he made it hard to remember that when he wanted to cuddle with her on the couch even though no one else was around to see it.

As time passed their lives seemed to become even more intertwined, and then when they visited her mom for her birthday he asked her to officially make his apartment her home. She didn't know how to interpret that request. Yeah it would make things a little easier to have her things there since that was where they spent the majority of their time when they weren't travelling, but it wasn't necessary, they'd been managing things fine before. He'd made it clear he truly wanted her to move in, including giving her permission to change things around if she wanted to, and it felt like too much, but at the same time she wasn't going to say no. She didn't want to say no. She hadn't even given it much thought when he'd first asked, her first instinct was to agree, it wasn't until later that the reality of it sank in.

She desperately wanted to talk to someone about it, especially her mom, but she couldn't. Her mom didn't know the truth. In fact, her mom had adored Finn, and had been absolutely ecstatic that they were together, embarrassingly hinting at when they were going to take the next step. Thankfully Finn seemed to have been completely oblivious to her meddling, but her mom had been way too happy to help her box her stuff to be shipped out, and she was surprised he didn't notice even that.

The only person who did know the truth was Sasha, and Sasha thought she was out of her mind for having agreed to the arrangement in the first place. Sasha had pointed out on more than one occasion that they'd backed themselves into a corner, and they couldn't have a fake relationship for the rest of their lives. She thought they should have found another solution, one that didn't have them living a lie. Honestly Sasha didn't understand why they both felt like they couldn't sleep apart. She'd tried to explain it to her, but it wasn't easy. Sasha couldn't know what it was like to experience the escalating fear that had come from Finn's struggles with insomnia as it had gotten worse and worse, nor how awful it had been to see him looking so dead inside after the first two nights when they'd tried to sleep apart.

Of course Sasha hadn't said anything about it in a little while. She wasn't sure if Sasha had just finally given up, realizing she wasn't going to change her mind or what. She knew Sasha wasn't one to hold back her opinion, and she also couldn't see Sasha changing her mind on the subject either, so the silence confused her until Sasha confronted her one day while they were hanging out. Their last show had been close enough to Orlando that they'd driven down right after the show Monday night and Sasha had chosen to ride with them. She was staying with another friend, but today they'd made arrangements to spend the afternoon together while Finn was occupied with other things. Sasha had surprised her when she asked,

"So you and Finn have never done anything, not even kissed?"

"No, why are you asking that?"

"Because your whole thing with him just doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything you both do screams that your relationship is real, and I mean everything. The way he looks at you, the way you look at him. How he takes care of you, the way he's constantly touching you and genuinely wants to be around you all of the time. You live together, do everything together and it's not like it's something you put up with for the sake of maintaining the facade. You're both content with the way things are. After living with someone for months, sleeping in the same bed together every night without any benefit from it, the only explanation I can think of is he's in love with you and he either hasn't realized it yet or he knows but he's scared. And I damn sure know you're in love with him."

"What?"

"I know you better than almost anyone. Tell me you don't want him, that he doesn't make you all nervous when he wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you close like he's _always_ doing. Tell me that you wouldn't be devastated if he suddenly met someone and wanted to end this thing you guys have got going on."

She was blown away. As always Sasha had boiled it all down in a matter of seconds. Everything she'd been feeling for weeks, every little touch that had confused her and excited her and left her feeling completely lost. It couldn't be real, could it? How could she have fallen in love with him without even realizing it? The thought of him meeting someone had never occurred to her, but Sasha was right, even just thinking about it felt like a punch in the gut, made her want to rip the imaginary woman's head off. He was _hers_.

"Oh God." She was in love with him. What the hell was she supposed to do now? How was she supposed to go home and act like everything was normal, that she hadn't just had her whole world shifted on it's axis? What if he didn't feel the same? She would lose him. She couldn't lose him, he was her everything. She felt full on panic set in, her brain moving so fast that the rest of her couldn't keep up. As anxiety began to choke her, Sasha intervened,

"Hey, sweetie, it's alright. Please don't freak out. He's in love with you too, I'd bet my life on it, the only thing I'm not sure of is whether he's realized it yet, and if the two of you have made it this far, then I know you'll work this out. I didn't mean to scare you, it's just that I've been so afraid that you were going to get hurt, that this whole thing was going to end up in disaster, but I couldn't help but see what you two are like together, and the more I watched you the more convinced I became that you were both using the whole fake relationship as an excuse to cover up your real feelings."

"I didn't know."

"Oh I know that, I'm not saying either one of you were doing it on purpose. I'm the only one on the outside who knows the truth, so I'm the only one who can see things clearly."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"That's up to you sweetie, but I think you need to tell him."

"But even if he does feel the same, you said he probably hasn't even realized it yet, what if I freak him out?"

"I don't know. I guess you could try feeling him out first? I noticed he's the one who initiates a lot of the touchy feely stuff, maybe you could try doing that?"

"Okay. Oh God, that's going to feel really weird though if I have to think about it too much."

"Well don't think about it, just do it."

"I guess I can try."

"Just don't put off telling him too long, I know you, the more you put it off the harder it will be."

After that Sasha tried distracting her to keep her mind off of it, and they avoided the subject of Finn for the rest of the day.

That night she felt really weird around Finn. She tried not to think about it, but she wasn't very successful. He kept looking at her like he was trying to figure her out and she knew he must have picked up on her discomfort. She knew she was doing the exact opposite of what her and Sasha had talked about, but she wasn't sure how to fix it. It wasn't until Finn suggested that they chill on the couch with some Netflix for the evening that she finally figured out what to do.

Normally she started off sitting a few inches away and Finn was the one who would pull her close so they could relax against each other, but this time she waited until he sat down and then sat right next to him and laid her head against his shoulder. He'd been startled, but obviously pleased as he wrapped his arm around her so that she fit even more snugly against him, and she felt like she was on cloud nine. After the day's revelations she was conscious of every little thing between them and she noticed a whole lot of things that she now realized she'd been purposefully ignoring before like how intoxicating the scent, the feel of him was and how he would absently rub light little circles on her skin with his thumb. When a scene on the screen got particularly gruesome she buried her face into his chest and she felt him jump, but then he cupped her head with his hand, and she felt him lightly kiss the top of her head. She relaxed into his warmth and after that she hadn't wanted to move, so she let herself drift off to the sound of his heartbeat under her ear.

From then on she found it easier to initiate the affection between them like her and Sasha discussed. Sasha had been right that Finn had been the one who'd taken the lead before, but now that she knew that it was a lot easier to participate. Sometimes she would beat Finn to the punch like she had on the couch and sometimes she would find little ways to turn the affection on him. She would lightly run her nails on his back or a thank him with a kiss on the cheek. At first she knew she surprised him a few times, but he easily adjusted and seemed quite happy with the change in her behavior. She hoped that meant Sasha was right about how he felt.

...

Finn was having a great day. They were spending their day off in Orlando again, something they did fairly frequently now that they'd made their living arrangements official. He'd woken up as always with Bayley snuggled into him and though he'd had his usual reaction to it, she'd still been asleep so he got to really enjoy it for a little while without having to worry about moving before she noticed it.

Something had been different lately with Bayley, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it wasn't a bad different. It felt like she'd relaxed around him more. It was great though it didn't always help with his ongoing struggle to not kiss her. It had got to the point where he sometimes wondered how she would react if he just did it instead of fighting himself all of the time, but he kept trying to remind himself that she wasn't really his girlfriend like the whole world thought. What she was was his best friend, and giving into that urge might be amazing for a minute, but it could also ruin that. He told himself to be content with what he already had, and he was mostly successful with that.

He'd been working on a project at the PC with Matt and occasionally with Hunter, learning more about the production side of the business every chance he got, and he felt like today had been gone very well. He, Matt and a couple of other people from the PC were sitting around after having taken a break for lunch, talking about various things when the discussion had turned toward the women's wrestlers, how much things had evolved over the last few years, and which of them had the potential to make huge contributions to the business both in the ring and out of it. A lot of names had been thrown out and of course Bayley's was one of them. After all She'd held both the Raw Women's Championship and the NXT Women's Championship among her many accomplishments, was a part of the four horsewomen, and had also been one of the women who'd taken a strong interest in learning the behind the scenes rolls. However when Finn suggested she was among the forerunners to make the biggest impact Matt had laughingly said,

"Not that I don't agree with you Finn, but you do know that no one would take your opinion seriously on that right?" Finn had been genuinely confused for a minute and said,

"Why?"

"Because, man, you're in love with her."

The statement shouldn't have made that big of an impact. It was what they'd been telling everyone for months now, but it felt like his whole world had shifted out from under him. The problem was that he _was_ in love with her, for real in love with her, and he hadn't even realized it. The shock must have been written on his face because Matt had leaned forward and turned away from everyone in an attempt to make the conversation more private, lowering his voice he said,

"Did you not know that or have you just not told her yet?" Finn didn't know what to say, he was still stunned, he kept opening his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Matt said,

"How could you not know that? You asked her to move in with you, that's not exactly a small step." At the time that he'd asked her that, he really thought it was just for the convenience, but now that he thought about it was probably more so that he could have her be as much a part of his life as possible. He'd probably subconsciously done a lot of things to ensure that she was connected to him. He couldn't tell Matt that though so he tried to explain,

"No I didn't. I knew I cared about her a lot, but we hadn't got that far."

"Well, damn. You should tell her man."

"Yeah, I guess I should," he said absently his mind still lost in the revelation and what that meant. Matt turned back to the rest of the conversation and left him to his thoughts.

That night he was really out of it, still processing what being in love with her could mean. She'd been happy to see him as always, giving him a hug and quick kiss on the cheek when she saw him. She'd had her hands full when she'd come in the door, and the hug had been with one arm as he helped her, taking some of the bags. She'd picked dinner up for them and was chatting away about what she'd got and how her day had gone, being her usual bubbly self. He'd noticed that she did that a lot more frequently now, touching him more and being more absently affectionate, and he wondered if it was possible that she could feel the same. She'd obviously had a very good day, and as they ate dinner he was able to soak in a little of her sunshine, amazed that he'd never noticed before how she made him feel. She'd been happy to end the evening cuddling together on the couch, and he couldn't help but think about what they would look like from an outsider's perspective and contemplate if her body language reflected her true feelings.

The next morning he woke up extremely early, his mind still anxiously processing everything and what he was going to do. He knew he had to do something. He couldn't leave things as they were now, but he kept changing his mind about how he should do it. He reluctantly left her sleeping in the bed once he'd started to get restless so he wouldn't wake her, and decided he would make breakfast. He'd really only got the coffee made and was prepping the ingredients when he heard her stirring. He poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her when she walked into the room. She smiled at him all soft and sweetly, her hair a mess, and he felt his chest tighten and his heart skip a beat. She turned away to doctor her coffee and when she turned back he couldn't stop himself. He put his hand over hers on the coffee cup and guided it to the counter to set it down, staring intently into her eyes as he did it. As soon as her hands were free he pulled her to him and he kissed her.

It was amazing, to finally feel her sweet lips on his, to hear that little gasp of surprise then the moan of pleasure that followed, he was in heaven. He deepened the kiss, seeking her tongue with his and she responded, kissing him back with equal fervor. He ran his hands up her back and pulled her even closer, so he could feel all of her body against him, and for once not worrying about if she could feel his natural reaction to her.

...

She'd still been half asleep when he kissed her. She'd been mesmerized by the look in his eyes, but confused as well when he'd pushed her coffee way, and she never would have imagined that the next thing she'd feel was his lips on her. It didn't take long for her to get lost in his kiss, in the way he felt against her and his fingers in her hair, in his tongue entangling with hers making her weak with want.

When they were both in need of air he pulled away from her mouth, and she wanted to protest despite the fact that she was gasping for breath as much as he was, until he started kissing across her jaw and down her neck instead. She tilted her head back, giving him better access, moaning with the pure pleasure of it. She was completely consumed with the way he made her feel, her skin burning from his touch as he trailed his fingers across the backs of her arms, her shoulders, her back. His fingers continued down until he cupped her ass with both hands and he pulled her completely against him, letting her feel all of him, his arousal pressing against the juncture of her legs. She could feel a slow burn starting in her belly growing with every touch, as sparks of desire shot up throughout her body, and she was so lost to it that he could have taken her right there standing in the middle of the kitchen if he'd wanted to, but he pulled back. He was breathing hard as he looked at her, and even if his body wasn't already telling her how much he wanted her, his eyes would have given it away, they were dark, intense, completely focused on her.

He cupped her face with one hand and his eyes softened as he said, "I'm in love with you Bayley. Somewhere along the way I fell and I fell hard without even realizing it. I want this to be real. I want to be able to kiss you, and I want to make love to you, and I want all of the messy, complicated, wonderful things that come with a real relationship. I need more than just your friendship and your affection, I need you, all of you and I want to give you all of me, if you'll have me."

She was speechless, couldn't find the words. She'd been hoping, praying, waiting for this, for him to realize that what they had was something special, but now she couldn't seem to form a sentence. The emotions overwhelmed her and tears filled her eyes. He immediately brought his other hand up to her face, wiping away the tears with his thumbs, comforting her even though she could see the uncertainty in his face. She tried again to speak through the lump in her throat, but when she couldn't she gave up and instead kissed him, pouring everything she couldn't say into it.

She surprised him and it took him a moment to catch up but once he did he didn't hesitate to return the kiss and take it even further. She'd wanted him for a long time, and now that she knew how he felt about her she had no objections when he broke away from the kiss and tugged at the hem of her tank top. She helped him take it off of her, feeling that slow burn in her belly again just from the way he looked at her as he reached out to touch her. His hands on her breasts felt amazing as he gently stroked them and her breath caught when he put his mouth on them, sucking on one nipple and then the other until she was moaning with pleasure. He cupped her ass again and lifted her up onto the counter to give him better access and she threw her head back, bracing herself on the counter as he grew rougher, more demanding, his hands running hotly across her skin.

She was so thoroughly engrossed in the way he was making her feel that he surprised her when he pulled her to him and off of the counter, letting her body slide against his until her feet hit the floor. When she looked up at him in question, his eyes burned into her as he said,

"I'm going to make love to you and I'm not doing that on the kitchen counter, at least not the first time."

His words made her feel heated, excited, elated, nervous with anticipation. He took her hand and pulled her with him to the bedroom, stopping once they reached the foot of the bed, and claiming her mouth with his. Her hands came up to his chest, sliding over the smooth, warm skin, then up and around his neck. He found the waistband of her loose cotton sleep pants and pushed at them until they fell and pooled at her feet leaving her completely naked. His hands slid over her hips caressing the skin, then around until he cupped her ass, lifting her up once again. She wrapped her legs around him and moaned at the feel of his arousal nestled firmly against her sex, only the thin material of his sweats between them. She rocked against him to increase the friction, both of them groaning with pleasure. He walked them the rest of the way to the bed and climbed onto it lowering her back against it before pushing his sweats off of his hips.

He dropped feverish kisses across her skin, starting at her chest and working his was downwards until he reached her sex. He slid his hands under and around her thighs and hips getting a good grasp on her. Her chest arched off of the bed, her fingers digging into the sheets as his mouth found her clit. She felt his fingers digging into her hips keeping her from moving too far, prolonging the pleasure that she couldn't and didn't want to escape. Her vision went white and she lost track of everything except for the feel of his mouth on her. She could feel her orgasm building and she sobbed when he moved away. He didn't release his grip on her hips, instead moving forward until he was on his knees in front of her, then pulled her hips to him and entered her. Her back arched off of the bed again as she cried out. He felt amazing, overwhelming and so, so good.

He started moving, the position giving her no option but to brace herself and take it which she was more than happy to do. Every time he hit bottom sent a shock wave through her of pure ecstasy, and it didn't take long for the sensation to overwhelm her, her orgasm rolling over her in intense waves of pleasure. When the sensation began to ebb she fell back against the bed almost limp. He was still moving within her, sending little aftershocks of pleasure through her, and he grabbed her and pulled her up against him so she now straddled his lap. His eyes were closed as he continued to move within her, his body coiled tight and she knew he was close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly, he opened his eyes and she caught his gaze with hers and spoke just above a whisper,

"I'm in love with you too."

The look of wonder on his face was amazing. Her heart tightened in response, and she felt full to the brim with love, desire, awe for him. His orgasm overtook him, and she held onto him riding it out with him before they both fell back onto the bed, bodies still entangled. When their breathing had slowed he pulled her back to his chest, cuddling her in the same position that they normally slept in. It was different with no clothing between, but enjoyable and their bodies were so conditioned to sleeping like that that it didn't take long for both to drift off.

...

He woke up in the same position that he always woke up in. He'd gotten accustomed to it and he knew waking up without her wrapped around him at this point would probably startle him more. She was naked and his body instantly recognized that fact and reacted accordingly. She stirred a little rubbing the inside of her thigh against the top of his leg and he knew he wasn't going to let her sleep much longer, even though he should because they hadn't gone to sleep until the early hours of the morning.

He barely slept at all, but then he hadn't been getting much sleep lately anyway, and it wasn't the fault of insomnia anymore. The blame could be laid on Bayley or more precisely on the fact that he couldn't get enough of her. His body was worn out and sore in places he didn't know he could be sore in, and that was despite the fact that he was an athlete in peak physical condition, but he really didn't mind.

He was a pretty happy person anyway, not the type to let things get him down, but the last couple of weeks had been hands down the happiest he'd ever been in life. She was amazing and that same connection, that chemistry, that they'd always shared as friends was also a part of the new physical aspect of their relationship. Now that he could, he didn't want to stop kissing her and the fire between them burned so hot that it was difficult for a kiss not to turn into more. Though as amazing as kissing and touching and loving her was, it wasn't just the physical aspects that had made him so happy. It was also being in love with her, being able to show that to the world, and having her love him back.

He ran his hand up her leg, over the outside of her thigh, and up over her ass rocking her against him, and he heard the low hum in her throat that was music to his ears. He kissed lightly across her face then nipped at her jaw with his teeth and she gasped. He whispered in her ear,

"You need to be punished," and she replied, her voice a little husky from sleep,

"What do I need to be punished for?"

"For the torture you put me through every time I woke up like this and couldn't do anything about it," he said as she tilted her head back letting him continue kissing and biting down her neck. He distracted her for a moment, but eventually she asked,

"Is this my punishment?"

"Yeah,"

"Well okay then, punish away," she said a mixture of joy and desire shining in her eyes, and he threw his head back and laughed. God he loved this woman, and he had to admit, if he was going to be losing sleep, well what a way to do it.


End file.
